This year, the Chinese New Year is celebrated on Friday, February 16, 2018. The Chinese New Year marks the beginning of the new lunar year according to the traditional Chinese calendar. Each Lunar Year is represented by one of the five elements and one of the twelve zodiac animals. This Chinese New Year, we bid adieu to 2017, the year of the Fire Rooster, and say hello to 2018’s Earth Dog.

About the Earth Dog & Predictions for 2018

The Dog is idealistic, loyal, honest, and observant. Dogs tend to be born with a good nature; sincerity and friendliness are traits that you will never doubt with a dog. They are quick to lend a helping hand to those around them, and do so without any ulterior motives. However, dogs tend to take a simplistic good-and-evil view of the world, and therefore will feel incredibly shocked and wounded if they perceive any sort of betrayal.

Overall, the Year of the Dog is expected to bring fewer eccentricities and hasty decisions than the Year of the Rooster (2017). Dog Years—especially Earth Dog Years—are predicted to bring successes from the previous year, but maintain much more stability throughout the year. As the Dog is very loyal and honest, it is important to carry those traits into your life to earn the full benefits of the Dog Year. Listen carefully to your moral compass this year in particular; it will guide you in the right direction.

Symbols of Luck for the Dog

Lucky Numbers: 3, 4, and 9

Lucky Days: 7th and 28th of every Chinese lunar month

Lucky Months: 6th, 10th, and 12th Chinese lunar months

Lucky Colors: Red, Green, and Purple

Lucky Directions: East, South, and Northeast

Ways to Celebrate the Chinese New Year

Feng Shui your home or office according to the Earth Dog.

Feng Shui is an ancient art used to bring good energy to your space (and subsequently, your life) by arranging your belongings in a way that aligns with the Bagua map. By using the symbols of luck for the Year of the Dog (above) and focusing on strengthening the Earth elements, you can bring an additional layer of good fortune to your home and life.

Eat traditional Chinese meals of luck.

Meals like dumplings and spring rolls are said to bring wealth and prosperity in the New Year, while long noodles and fruits like tangerines and oranges bring longevity. Read more here to learn about lucky foods for the Chinese New Year.

Hang up Chinese red lanterns.

In Chinese culture, the red lanterns are a symbol of prosperity and bright future. Hence these decorative elements are almost always used in Chinese New Year festivals and celebrations. Bring some good luck for the Year of the Dog to your home by hanging a few festive lanterns.

Find local lantern festivals and cultural celebrations to participate in.

The Chinese New Year is celebrated with the two-week-long Spring Festival in China each year. This two-week celebration always ends in a magnificent Lantern Festival, which welcomes the New Year’s first full moon. Within the US, there are numerous local Chinese Lantern Festivals to celebrate the New Year.

Find Your Chinese Zodiac Sign & Horoscope for Year of the Earth Dog

Each zodiac animal has its own personality and interactions with the Dog, therefore each other zodiac sign has a slightly different horoscope for this upcoming year. Check yours here!

“Jawn, pronounced \ˈjän\, is the Philadelphia all-purpose noun. It can refer to a single thing or a collection of things”

The JawnLight is virtually limitless in its applications. It can be a narrow, linear, recessed light. It can be a glowing custom shape. It can be clean strips of light along a doorway or a staircase. It can be static white, tunable white, and even RGB.

Jawn is whatever you intend it to be, only bound by your own creativity.

On Monday, August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will be visible across the United States for the first time in nearly a century! The path of totality will stretch from Oregon to South Carolina, about 70 miles wide. Those within the path of totality (and even those only experiencing a partial eclipse) will witness one of nature’s most incredible sights.

Credit: NASA

During totality, the moon completely covers the sun, and only a glowing ring of light from the sun’s corona–or atmosphere–is visible. The moon’s passing in front of the sun will cast a shadow, creating a twilight-like darkness in the middle of the day. Viewers outside of the path of totality will experience a partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun, still creating a magnificent view. However, according to TIME.com, “the sun is so bright that, even when it is mostly obscured, it still manages to send enough light to the Earth to create near-daylight.”

Partial Solar Eclipse

Want to see how the solar eclipse will look from your location? Check out the interactive simulation of the eclipse from any location in the U.S. at TIME.com.

Credit: TIME

TIPS FOR VIEWING THE SOLAR ECLIPSE:

If you are within the path of totality, it is safe to view the eclipse with the naked eye, but only during the short window of time that the moon is completely covering the sun. For those only seeing a partial eclipse and any time when the sun is even partially visible, it is crucial to always wear proper eye protection when looking directly at the sun.

Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through and unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, etc.

Travel safely and use caution; if you are driving during the solar eclipse, do not wear your solar eclipse glasses while driving. Pull over safely to view the eclipse.

A solar eclipse is known to bring about great changes, big life events, and growth; it is nature’s way of propelling us forward in life. Appearing with such rarity, witnessing a solar eclipse is a truly inspiring and unforgettable event, both physically and spiritually.

We are looking forward to the exciting changes this eclipse will bring for Feng Shui Lighting, and we hope you are too!

One of FSL’s most versatile LED backlighting solutions is the NetLight: a collection of lightweight LED boards wired together to create a powerful and uniform net of light for backlighting any number of diffusers.

NetLight 2.0

The standard NetLight product (the NetLight 2.0) is available in rolls up to 10′ long (of either 2′ or 1′ wide LED boards) to be mounted behind virtually any surface or diffuser. The NetLight 2.0 boasts an LED to LED pitch of 42.0 mm, and is available in a variety of different board spacing options (from 50mm to 100mm) to suit the client’s needs, whether it be a small installation depth or a more cost-effective solution for a larger depth. As our NetLight 2.0 is assembled per order, please consult with the factory for any custom spacing requests. Depending on the board spacing chosen, the NetLight 2.0 can produce up to 1700 lumens/square foot!

NetLight Panels

FSL’s NetLight 2.0 is also available pre-mounted onto di-bond panels for extremely easy installation. The NetLight Panels are wired with quick connects so that installing and electrifying this backlighting solution is quicker and easier than ever before–just simple screw mounting onto the surface and connecting the panels to drivers. The NetLight Panels are available in the same LED pitch and board spacing options as the standard NetLight 2.0.

NetLight RGB

NetLight is also offered in a color-changing RGB version. This lighting solution combines the NetLight 2.0 matrix with RGB LEDs to provide you with exceptional and exciting illumination. NetLight RGB is available with a 50mm LED to LED pitch, as well as 50mm board spacing, creating a uniform grid of RGB color-changing light.

Coming Soon: NetLight 3.0

Feng Shui Lighting is currently developing a new version to join the NetLight family of products: NetLight 3.0. NetLight 3.0 employs extra-wide batwing optics that allow for better uniformity and smaller installation depths than ever before. The LED to LED pitch and the board spacing will be greater, but with the use of extra-wide optics, this version of NetLight will be able to get closer to diffusers without any visible hot spots, yield lower wattage per square foot, and will be even more cost effective.

Stay tuned for the NetLight 3.0 launch in Fall 2017.

For more information on these or any other backlighting or decorative lighting products, visit our website.

When Empowered Yoga designed their new hot yoga studio in Wilmington, DE, they wanted the space to feel peaceful and serene but with some visual interest. The owners wanted to feature several incredible photographs taken by Henry Domke Fine Art throughout the new studio. The interior designer, Tracey Martel of Martel Interiors LLC, suggested FSL’s Float fixture to bring these stunning photographs to life.

Feng Shui Lighting’s standard Float fixture uses a Slim Panel as the LED source to illuminate the chosen diffuser, however, this was modified due to the hot yoga studio environment with constant 105+ degree Fahrenheit temperatures. Instead, we created two custom Float fixtures using our Core Panel, which can withstand up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, as the fixture’s LED source.

Using a direct printing process, we crafted two stunning 4’x8′ Henry Domke Fine Art acrylic panels to be fully illuminated. Direct printing onto our acrylic panels keeps the imagery vibrant and clear, while preventing any type of peeling or chipping from high temperature environments.

Once installed, these fixtures brought light, life, and energy to the new studio!

Let the Light inspire you

Color temperature is the measurement of the “color” of white light. Yes, while white light is, well, white, it is slightly more complex than that…

According to a study from the Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience journal, most indoor lighting used today is “polychromatic light, which is the sum of various frequency [light] waves that express a diverse spectrum of brightness and color temperature.” This means that when the color temperature of the light is measured at a lower value (such as 2200K-3000K) it is considered a “red-enriched white” or “warm white”. On the other side of the spectrum, you’ll find “blue-enriched white” or “cool white” light at 6000K-7000K+.

Color temperature is not just an arbitrary choice in terms of creating good lighting; when designing a space, (whether it be a restaurant, an office space, or even your own kitchen) color temperature is a very important factor to consider. The color temperature of the light sources we use every day help determine the mood of the room or environment we are lighting and can even affect our cognitive behavior over time. Below is a list of some of the most popular color temperatures in the LED lighting industry and how they can be applied to compliment a space.

Warm White (2700K)

Warm white color temperatures have a yellowish tint and can sometimes be used to simulate candlelight. This type of light is ideal for creating a cozy or intimate setting in spaces like a bedroom, lounge, or a romantic restaurant.

Soft White (3000K)

Soft whites are still slightly warmer than true white, and have a calming, inviting affect on a space. This type of lighting can be used in most rooms in a home, boutiques, and hotel or office lobbies.

Neutral White (4000K)

Neutral white has very little yellow or blue tint, appearing true white to the eye. This type of light appears neat, clean, and vibrant and is best suited for backlighting natural materials such as stone or onyx, work environments, and healthcare facilities.

Daylight (5000K)

This color temperature mimics the effect of natural daylight and creates a sense of energetic and productive environment that is perfect for office settings, classrooms, and task lighting. Studies have shown that a bluer tone of light may have positive effects on cognitive function, attention and memory.

Cool Daylight (6500K)

Cool daylight has a blueish tint that can sometimes be a little too cool for residential and office settings, but is ideal for showcasing jewelry, artwork, illuminating signage graphics, or even in large-scale commercial settings.

Feng Shui Lighting‘s product lines include a variety of different color temperatures to suit virtually any application, and customization is always welcomed!

The philosophy of Feng Shui Lighting is that we are greatly affected by what we see and what it means to us. By consciously creating and selecting what we illuminate in our space, we can impact how the environment makes us feel and think. FSL marries key principles of Feng Shui with key components of good lighting design to create spaces that make us feel good and create good energy flow, or good Chi.

You are constantly influenced by your surroundings, and what you choose to place in your home or your office can greatly affect the way you feel and think throughout the day. Choose to fill your space with light, inspiration, and good Chi, and you will soon begin to see the effects on your daily thoughts and energy.

Now, answer this question:

If I gave you two tickets to anywhere, where would you go? Really, in your dreams, where in the world would you go?

Wherever that place is, Feng Shui Lighting suggests that you have imagery of that place in your home. Whether it be literal imagery, symbols, or anything at all that helps conjure that place in your mind, it is important to give your dreams a presence in your space. If you want to go to Bora Bora, place photos in your home, or even a backlit fixture from Feng Shui Lighting in your office.